As we begin to wrap up our school year we realized we needed to dedicate an entire newsletter to the environmental efforts in our four schools. Next week we will be sending you our 2014-2015 Summary. Here we highlight our green schools and all the cool things going on inside and outside of the classroom in a summary all its own.

The City of Fairfax Schools focus on environmental education and stewardship. Here are just a few of the many events, projects and activities going on in our schools.

Fairfax High School

• FHS Envirothon Team placed 5th in Northern Virginia competition regarding Urban Forestry.
• EcoClub welcomed speakers such as ESI Waste to discuss recycling. Students plan to launch a recycling campaign next school year.
• Participated in the School Environmental Action Showcase.
• Green Club Garden Team transforming Entrance 6 with rain barrels, composters and planting native plants and healthy vegetables.
• AP Environmental Science students welcomed numerous speakers and performed onsite field work such as chemical and biological water monitoring of Accotink Creek, percolation tests around FHS and reducing storm water runoff.

Lanier Middle School

• Placed 2nd in Caring for Our Watershed event at NoVa Outside Environmental Showcase at GMU.
• Received grant from Whole Kids (Whole Foods) to continue to build vegetable garden.
• Awarded Virginia Naturally School recognition for 5 consecutive years.
• Students initiated and launched "Ban the Bottle" program to introduce water bottle filling stations throughout the school using prize money from Environmental Showcase.
• Continued to develop the Ann Monday Courtyard, installing new vegetable gardens and bringing in more native plants.
• Hosted Get2Green event - a showcase for schools in FCPS to see how they can implement green initiatives in their schools.

Providence Elementary School

• Placed first at GMU Environmental Showcase Mascot Challenge.
• Increased the amount of recyclables by 10%
• Grew and donated over 200 pounds of fresh vegetables to PES families.
• Served fresh lettuce and spinach in cafeteria
• Identified and reported on 50+ species of animals and 70+ species of plants in around PES.
• Donated 20 milkweed plants and 2 Joe Pye weeds to help other schools start their own patches.

Daniels Run Elementary School

• Recognized as Virginia Naturally School for 9 consecutive years.
• Vegetable garden planting/harvesting for all grades - (see sidebar photo).
• Donation of student school meal leftovers to local school food bank program.
• Third grade students planted/grew Submerged Aquatic Vegetation.
• In honor of Earth Day, K-4 grade students made litterbugs - (see picture above)
• 6th grade students raised and released American shad.
• Participated in Environmental Action Showcase at George Mason University.